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South Africa vs Pak – 2nd Test – Mystery of Newlands pitch forces Pakistan to guess on team combination


There is a fine line between maximum preparation and ignorance, and Pakistan is trying to ensure that they walk on the right side of it. Less than 24 hours left to go before second testPakistan is yet to announce its final XI, looking to gather as much information as possible about what the Newlands surface will do. However, the later they leave it, the harder it is to make the case that the visitors will have a side they will be comfortable with heading into the game.
captain Shan Masood Admitted that it was “difficult” to balance the team. “We would like to see the pitch finalized,” he said. “It feels a bit different, there is less grass cover. South Africa have got the chance to conduct training sessions before us. We will want to take our time and see what is the best possible XI.”
The surface of Newlands is being examined after what happened The last test was played hereIn the first Test for new groundsman Bram Mong, India defeated South Africa in a game that lasted barely 100 overs. The game was dominated by fast bowlers, there was uneven bounce between bat and ball, and there was no spin bowling; The pitch was given an “unsatisfactory” rating.
Since this is the second Test for the same groundsman, there is more interest on both sides in the nature of this strip Temba Bavuma He was told, half-jokingly, that he was “not allowed to talk about the pitch”. Over the last few days, a large amount of grass has been removed from the track where the Test will be played, with heavy rollers moving over the surface several times.
Anyhow, South Africa have named their squad with the arrival of spinner Keshav Maharaj. But for Pakistan it is a little more complicated. Masood pointed to their seam bowling all-rounders and deep batting line-up as one of South Africa’s strengths, saying it was down to “Rabada at 10” after his heroics in the fourth innings. in centurion,

If Pakistan has to field a specialist spinner, it will certainly come at the expense of a seam bowler. This leaves them with only three fast bowlers, which Masood seemed reluctant to do.

“There are still four fast bowlers playing in South Africa,” Masood said. “They have a lot of all-rounders in the team. Mulder, Jensen, Bosch, so they can take these decisions. For us, it will be a bit difficult. We still feel pace will have a big role to play in these conditions. There was a pattern that was successful for us [Salman] Agha bowled really well in Australia And take it forward with us. We will have to see and probably take a decision in the evening.

“It’s fun to compete, but we have to be ruthless, and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential on that side, and if we’re not crossing the line, we’re wasting our talent and potential.” Justice is not being demonstrated.”

Shan Masood wants his team to do more than just finish in dominant position in games

Matters are becoming more complex, amer jamalFor Pakistan, the least important of the fast bowlers in Centurion, their only all-rounder, Masood has effectively cemented his place in the XI.

“Amer ties the team together. Going forward he is a very important player in the Test team. The No. 8 position where you can bat as a very good batsman and bowl like a proper fast bowler Unfortunately, the match conditions were such that apart from his first spell at Centurion he didn’t really get a chance, he was brought in at a time when we had gambled on doing something different, perhaps hitting the wicket and getting Rabada or Johnson to do something else He had to force it but the reason behind that is we hope he bowls more on this surface.”

This means that no matter which path Pakistan takes, there will be an agreement one way or the other. But Masood said that the way they competed against the “No. 1” team in Test cricket has boosted Pakistan’s morale. But having lost a number of key positions in the last nine Tests, seven of which Pakistan have lost, he understands that faith in a side or system can be shattered if the results do not come to propel it forward.

“You want to compete against the best and win against the best,” he said. “It’s fun to compete, but we have to be ruthless, and we have to cross that line somewhere. There’s a lot of potential on that side, and if we’re not crossing the line, we’re wasting our talent and potential.” Not performing justice. This only comes from a place of caring, and yes we all make mistakes and don’t cross this line sometimes, but I really believe there is potential on this side, and people. observed that in this aspect even more The results suggest something.”

Moments after Pakistan finished training, the pitch was, unconventionally, given another heavy dose of water under the blazing sun. After that, the groundstaff strips and throws a white sheet around it. The secret of this Newlands pitch remained hidden overnight, however, even when it was revealed, few people – especially in the Pakistan camp – knew exactly what to expect from it.



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